Sherrod Brown column: Protecting Ohio’s drinking water

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Last month, a new report from the Environmental Working Group found that drinking water contamination from PFAS chemicals is far more prevalent than we thought. Lab tests found PFAS chemicals in Ohioans’ drinking water in Columbus and Cincinnati. These contaminants are often called “forever chemicals” because they never break down, and they can build up over time in people’s organs and bloodstreams.

We’ve known for a while now that these chemicals are a problem. Two years ago, I worked to secure the release of a government study that President Trump’s EPA had been blocking, giving us more information on what levels of PFAS are safe.

Last spring, I also helped introduce bipartisan legislation requiring the EPA to designate PFAS chemicals as hazardous substances, so we could get resources to Ohio communities to clean up our drinking water. The House passed a similar bill, the PFAS Action Act, earlier this month.

But Mitch McConnell refuses to act on it, and President Trump is threatening a veto.

They have a choice – are they going to stand on the side of Ohioans who want to know their drinking water is safe, or are they siding with the chemical companies who don’t want to clean up their act?

Ohio parents should not have to worry about their children’s health every time they turn on the faucet. We need to ensure communities have safe drinking water, and we need to hold the corporations who contaminated it accountable.

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Sherrod Brown is a U.S. senator, representing Ohio. You may contact him at his office in Cleveland, 801 W. Superior Ave., Suite 1400, Cleveland, OH 44113. You may call his office at 216-522-7272 or 1-888-896-6446.

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